The government, led by Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, has also opened a web portal wherein stranded Goans can apply online to facilitate their return. The Chief Minister said that the State will work out a strategy for the repatriation of all those who are currently stranded in the country and abroad. Incidentally, the move for inter-State transfers of stranded people has been approved by the Union Ministry for Home Affairs.
The development comes close on the heels of the government bringing in 54 seafarers from the Marella Discovery cruise liner after high drama and a showdown between the families of the seafarers and the government. The families even protested in front of the official residence of the Chief Minister in Panjim. While the Chief Minister and Union Ayush Minister Shripad Naik, lobbied hard with the Centre and made all possible efforts to bring the seafarers back to Goa from this ship, the two other ships that are anchored off Mumbai are unwilling to sign off the seafarers crew for very different reasons.
Nonetheless, the seafarers who arrived in Goa on Tuesday night have been quarantined at a hotel in the State capital. The government has also made it quite clear that the ship owners or agents will have to pay for the quarantine facilities for 14 days period. The move has met with strong resistance from the seafarers’ family as well as the opposition politicians that have alleged that the government is trying to make money while repatriating the seafarers. In the situation that currently prevails, the State government’s intentions to bring thousands and thousands of Goans stranded abroad or in the country, seems to be decision without the thorough application of the mind.
One opines that when the government does not have the money to pay for the quarantine facilities of the seafarers, how are they planning to bring in Goans stranded abroad or in the country? Does the government have adequate quarantine facilities for these thousands of Goans who will return? Does the government again intend to ask the Goans who return to pay for the quarantine hotels arranged by the administration? There is already opposition to the demand of payment from the seafarers, so is the government actually inviting more trouble for itself? Does the government have money to pay for the hotels? The answer is a straight no.
The question is not just about quarantine facilities but the government will also have to look into meals as well as the travel arrangements. Right now with two lockdowns, the State economy is staring down the barrel. The tourism industry is completely shut, the casinos are closed, liquor is not being sold, restaurants and retail shops are closed so there is no GST or Excise revenue coming in. The State has already borrowed Rs 300 crore in the last month and as the salary and pension payment approaches it won’t be surprising if the government borrows a few hundred crore more.
With the State economy in dire straits, Sawant must not take such bold decisions just to please his party bosses in New Delhi. Such a decision will not only affect his image but could also prove unsafe for the State. The wise decision would be to wait for a few days for the situation to settle down a bit and then decide the future course of action. Yes, Goa is free of active COVID-19 case, but by allowing more people to enter the State we could also be inviting trouble.
